Drive mechanism



March 29, 1966 .1. PELENSKY 3,243,021

DRIVE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 29, 1966 J. PELENSKY DRIVE MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 26, 1961 1N VENTOR. M015 6 FIZZ/V170 a z I United States Patent 3,243,021 DRIVE MECHANISM Joseph Pelenslry, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Dela- Ware Filed Dec. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 161,962 9 Qlaims. (Cl. 192-.072)

This invention relates to drive mechanisms, and while of broader applicability has special utility in the field of laundry apparatus.

Laundry apparatus in which the present invention has particular utility comprises a clothes basket or container mounted for rotatable movement upon hub means, the latter having a shaft mounted coaxi-ally therewith, for driving movement relative to the hub means as the latter is re strained from rotating. An agitator is supported by the shaft within the basket, and when clothing is washed or rinsed within the basket the shaft is rotated while the basket is held stationary. This rotation of the shaft relative to the basket effects movements of the agitator to carry out the washing and rinsing operations.

It has been found advantageous, in accomplishment of the Washing operation, freely to journal the agitator upon a suitably inclined portion of the shaft, the agitator being held in fixed, non-rotatable relation with respect to the basket by suitable restraining means. Continuous unidirectional rotation of the drive shaft, acting through this eccentric-like mechanism imparts a tilting or wobbling motion to the agitator, producing circulation of the washing fluid. Further, and in order to carry out the water extracting operations, for example by spinning the basket at a rapid rate, both the basket and the agitator are rotated as a unit by a drive mechanism that is selectively coupleable with either of the above described washing or liquid extracting mechanisms. While this invention is not limited to a specific type of laundry machine as described above it will, for convenience, be described herein as being embodied in a laundry machine of the wobbleagitator type such as is disclosed and claimed in my copending disclosure entitled Laundry Apparatus," Serial No. 177,038, filed March 2, 1962 now US. Patent No. 3,102,408, issued September 3, 1963, and assigned to the assignee of this invention.

Selective coupling of the rotatable washing and water extracting mechanisms heretofore has usually required provision of clutch means characterized by complex actuating linkages, and it is a broad object of the invention to provide simple and improved clutch means that achieves both releasable coupling between rotating elements and predetermined differential slippage of the clutch means between the rotating elements.

It is another object of the invention to provide reliable drive mechanism requiring a minimum of components and adjustment.

It is still another objective of the invention to provide selectively actuable clutch and brake means which is automatically operable in response to the direction of rotational movement of the drive means, and requires no actuating linkages.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, and with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, a washing machine including an agitator and a rotatable basket is provided with drive mechanism for rele-asably coupling reversible drive means with the rotatable basket and agitator as a unit in response to movement of the drive means in one direction. The drive mechanism includes a coupling member reacting between elements associated with the basket and with the drive means, upon movement of the latter in the mentioned one direction to provide the drive coupling for spinning the basket and agitator. Upon movement of the drive means in the opposite direction the drive mechanism is adapted to re- 7 lease the basket from the drive means and provide for operation of the agitator alone.

With more specific reference to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the drive mechanism includes a flanged drum rotatably driven with an agitator drive shaft in accordance with either a forward or a reverse direction of rotation of the agitator shaft. The drum is driven by reversible motor means through a band that imparts, with variable slippage, a frictional force to the drum flange to rotate the same, the slippage varying according to direction of rotation of the motor means. It is a feature of the invention that slippage of the band relative to the drum accommodates acceleration of the motor means and of the basket, and further accommodates actuation of cam actuated brake means for the basket. The brake means is operable when the drum is rotated in one direction to prevent the basket from rotating and to permit operation of the agitator alone for the washing period. When the drum is rotated in the opposite direction the cam actuator for the brake means includes means operable to lock the basket and the agitator for drive together, as a unit, for the water extracting period.

The foregoing as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will best be understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view on a larger scale, partly in section and with parts broken away, of the machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view of structure shown in FIGURE 2, partly in section and looking in the direction of arrows 3-3 applied to the latter figure, and illustrating operational features of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a showing similar to FIGURE 3 and illustrating additional operational features of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, of a lower portion of structure seen in FIGURE 2, and illustrating the relationship between elements there of existing during the washing, or agitating, period (FIG URE 3);

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 and illustrating the relationship between elements existing during the water extraction or spinning period (FIGURE 4); and FIGURE 7 is an enlarged elevational showing of a portion of the structure illustrated in FIGURES 2, 5, and 6, which enlarged showing illustrates operational features of the invention.

With more particular reference to the drawings, and first to FIGURES 1 and 2, the invention preferably is embodied in a washing machine including a cabinet 10, a control panel 11, and an access opening 12 in the upper horizontal wall portion 13 of the cabinet. A door 14 is hingedly mounted over access opening 12 in accordance with usual practice, to permit loading and unloading of the upwardly presented rotatable basket 15 which is nested within an imperforate nonrotatable tub 16. Basket 15 is mounted upon hub means 20 which is suitably journalled within bearing means 21 provided in the bottom of stationary tub 16. Bearing means 21 and tub 16 are supported upon a non-rotatable central tubular column 22 which has at its lower end a down wardly flaring skirt portion 23 including an interior generally spherical surface 24 which confronts a like surface 25 formed in the bottom or base portion 26 of cabinet- 10. A ring 30 of frictional damping material is disposed between surface portion 25 of the base and surface portion 24 to provide for damping of movements of Patented Mar. 29, 1966 column 22 with the attached tub 16. Attachment of column 22 to base 26 is made through the agency of a flexible and resilient ring 31 which is aflixed to a flange portion 32 of the column and to the dome-like portion comprising surface 24 of base 26. Flexible and resilient ring 31 provides a restoring .force for moving tu-b 16 back to its center or rest position when an unbalanced load in the basket 15 causes displacement of the same. This construction is of the general type disclosed and claimed in U.S. Patent No. 2,836,993 issued to Harold D. Johnson et al. on June 3, 1958, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

A rotatable hollow shaft 33 is supported upon bearings 34 and 35 disposed within column 22 toward its upper and lower ends, respectively. A solid shaft 36 is disposed concentrically within the hollow shaft 33. Shaft 36 is supported at its upper end by suitable bearing means (not shown) disposed within hub means 20 and at its lower end by suitable bearing means such as bushing 41 (see FIGURES and 6). In accordance with known practice, shaft 36 is coupled with wobble-plate agitator 42 through the agency of an inclined portion (not shown) that extends into rotatable basket and is journalled to the agitator by a suitable bearing (not shown).

With reference also to FIGURES 5 and 6, a selectively operative multi-disk brake 45 is provided for locking the hollow, rotatably mounted shaft 33 to nonrotatable column 22 while the inner shaft 36 is rotated alone, and for unlocking hollow shaft 33 from column 22 for rotation thereof simultaneously with solid inner shaft 36. Brake 45 comprises a plurality of disks 46 attached by suitable spline means 47 to nonrotatable column 22, and a plurality of disks 48 attached by spline means 52 to hollow rotatable shaft 33. Friction washers 53 are disposed within the spaces between and in confronting relation to disks 46 and 48. The construction and arrangement of the brake is such that shaft 33 is locked to column 22 by compressing the disks and washers, and unlocked by releasing the disks and washers.

With further reference to FIGURES 5 and 6, and with special reference to FIGURE 7, actuating means for releasing and engaging the brake 45 comprises cam means 81 having a hollow, generally cylindrical, lower cam 82 drivingly coupled with, or keyed to, drum 65. Lower cam 82 includes a plurality of vertical abutment surfaces 83 and a plurality of generally axially presented helical cam surfaces 84 coaxially disposed with shaft 36. Cam means 81 further includes a hollow, generally cylindrical upper cam 85 which is slidably disposed within lower cam 82 and includes a plurality of axially presented helical cam surfaces 86 and a plurality of vertically extending abutment surfaces 90, which surfaces mate with like surfaces of cam 82. Upper cam 85 has an upper surface 91 which engages the lowermost one of disks 48. The inner cylindrical surface of hollow cam 85 includes splines (not shown) which mate with splines 52 on hollow rotatable shaft 33.

The construction and arrangement of the cam means 81 is such that rotation of drum 65 in the agitate direction shown in solid lines in FIGURE 3 will drive lower cam 82 to cause abutment surfaces 83 and 90 to move apart and upper cam 85 to slide upwardly within the cylindrical portion of lower cam 82. In other words, cam means 81 is caused to expand. The described relative positions of the cam and brake elements in the agitate operation are best seen in FIGURE 5 and in broken and full lines in FIGURE 7. In FIGURE 7, the increment of relative rotation between cams 82 and 85 is indicated by the space A between lines extending from vertically extending surfaces 83 and 90 of the cams. The vertical increment of movement of upper cam 85 and disk 48 adjacent thereto, either to release or apply the brake, is indicated by the space designated B between lines extending horizontally from disk 48. In moving upwardly, surface 91 of the upper cam is urged against lower disk 48 and actuates the brake to hold hollow shaft 33 stationary, by locking the latter to the non-rotatable column 22.

Rotation of drum 65 in the spin direction shown in solid lines in FIGURE 4 causes cam to be lowered, or cam means 81 to contract, releasing brake means 45, and engaging the abutment surfaces 83 of cam 82 with the like surfaces of cam 85 to effect drive of the hollow shaft 33 with the agitator shaft 36. Relative positions of the brake and cam elements, during the spin operation, are best seen in FIGURE 6 and in full lines in FIGURE 7. Means for driving the drum 65 in per formance of the agitate and spin operations will be more fully explained below with reference to FIGURES 3 and 4.

A drive pulley 54 is keyed to agitator shaft 36 to provide for direct drive of wobble-plate agitator 42. A selectively reversible drive motor 71 (FIGURE 2) includes a vertically extending rotatable shaft 73 provided at its lower end with a drive pulley 74. A drive belt 75 drivingly interengages pulley 74 and pulley 54 and is tensioned by suitable means (not shown) and in accordance with usual practice.

Pulley 54 includes a pair of tabs 55 and 56 (FIG- URES 3 and 4) which are bent up from the web 60 of the pulley. These tabs are disposed for selective engagement with lug portions 62 and 63 provided on a clutch band 61, which engagement is shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Band 61 includes a lining material 64 disposed for frictional engagement with the inside surface of the depending flange 67 of the drum 65. The degree of frictional force exerted by band 61 upon the inside of drum flange 67, through the agency of lining material 64, is dependent upon the different spring constants of each of a pair of concentric coil springs 66 and 70, and which frictional force will vary as respects the direction of rotation of the motor. This construction will be more readily understood when considering that when motor 71 rotates in the agitate direction (FIGURE 3), the pulley tab 55, which tab has an aperture 80, engages the confronting lug 62 on band 61. This engagement rotates the band in a clockwise direction as viewed in the full line showing of FIGURE 3, the rest position being shown in broken lines. The construction and arrangement is such that when band 61 is rotated in this direction it will tend to collapse and move inwardly away from drum flange 67. However, the compression force on the spring 70 will increase thereby urging, with slippage, the friction lining material 64 against the flange 67 in an amount suflicient to provide a torque force value to actuate the cam and brake for holding the basket stationary during agitation. At this time the spring 66'does not exert force, since the stud 78 against which spring 66 reacts is free to slide With clearance through the lug portions 62 and 63 of band 61.

When motor 71 turns in the other, or spin, direction, to extract water from clothes within the basket, pulley tab 56 drivingly engages confronting flanged head of stud 78, which in turn engages lug 63, and band 61 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in the full line showing of FIGURE 4, the rest position again being shown in broken lines. Rotation of band 61 in this direction compresses both springs 66 and 70. The force on the band derived from this compression of both springs tends to prevent band 61 from collapsing. Because of this substantial lack of collapsing, the frictional force developed between the band 61 and drum flange 67, through the intermediately disposed friction material 64, is greater than is derived from the compression of spring 70 alone. This increased frictional engagement provides for the torque limiting clutch function during acceleration of basket 15 to its spin speed, and thereafter provides substantially slip-free coupling to drive the basket at its spin speed.

By way of summary, when motor 71 drives pulley 54 in the spin direction cam means 81 driven with the drum 65 contracts axially, thereby to move the brake disks 46 and 48 apart and away from friction washers 53, to permit spinning of the basket 15. When the motor drives pulley 54 in the other, or agitate, direction cam means 81 expands axially whereby the disks 46 and 48 compress the friction washers 53 and hold the basket 15 stationary.

It will be appreciated that when motor 71 is deenergized following spinning of basket 15, the basket will continue to spin under its own inertia. This continued spinning of the basket will drag the pulley and motor along, which results in expanding of the cam and application of the brake to assist in bringing the spinning basket to a halt.

1. In power transmission apparatus, including reversibly rotatable drive means, slip clutch means comprising: rotatable drum means having a peripheral flange; flat, split ring means resiliently urged against the recited flange and including centrally presented end portions; a pair of concentric, selectively compressible coil springs disposed and adapted to react between said end portions to spread said split ring means and urge the same, with a greater or lesser force according to the direction of rotation, against the flange of the drum means whereby to provide a greater or lesser frictional force between the ring means and the drum means; and means coupling said drive means with said split ring means including tab means presented for releasable engagement with said centrally presented portions of the ring means, and operable to drive the drum means through the latter under the frictional force imparted by both concentric coil springs when the ring means is driven in one direction, and operable to drive the drum means under the frictional force imparted by one of said coil springs when the ring means is driven in the other direction, whereby to vary the torsional force imparted to the drum means by the drive means.

2. Clutch means according to claim 1, and further characterized in the said end portions of said ring means include axially aligned openings and a cylindrical pin extends with clearance through said openings, said pin having a flange at one end disposed for abutting engagernent with said tab means when the latter is driven in one direction, said pin further including a shoulder portion disposed and adapted to be engaged by the inner one of said coil springs, the other end of which spring reacts= against an end portion of said ring means, and the outer one of said springs is disposed in abutting engagement with said centrally presented end portions of the ring means, the construction and arrangement being such that when the ring means is driven in one direction, by engaging the end portion thereof through which the nonflanged end of the pin extends, compresses only the outer one of the coil springs, compression of the smaller diameter coil spring causing the pin to slide within the openings, and drive of the ring means in the other direction through engagement of the pin flange portion effects compression of both the inner and outer coil springs.

3. In power transmission apparatus: means defining a base; a pair of coaxially disposed rotatable shafts mounted upon said base; brake means including a plurality of frictional braking elements confronting one another, and alternately coupled with said outer shaft and with said base; reversible motor means disposed and adapted rotatably to drive said inner shaft in opposite directions, selectively; cam means for effecting operation of the brake means in response to rotation of the former according to one of said directions of rotation of the motor means, said cam means including a first cam element slidably coupled with said outer shaft and a second cam element disposed for slidable and nonslidable abutment with said first cam element; and slip clutch means drivingly coupled with said motor means and coupled with said second cam element to provide for holding the outer shaft stationary by said brake means when said motor means drives the inner shaft in the recited one direction, said slip clutch means being further disposed and adapted to disengage elements of said brake means to provide for driving said inner and outer shafts together through nonslidable abutment of said cam means when the motor drives the inner shaft in the direction opposite to the recited one direction.

4. In power transmission apparatus: means defining a base; a pair of coaxially disposed rotatable shafts mounted upon said base, one of said shafts being hollow and the other disposed within the former; disk brake means including a plurality of disk elements confronting one another in the direction of their axes, one group of said elements coupled with said outer shaft and the other group coupled with said base means; reversible motor means disposed and adapted to drive said inner shaft; cam means for effecting relative axial movement between recited groups of disk elements to actuate the brake means in response to rotation of the inner shaft in one direction to provide for rotation of the latter alone, said cam means including a first cam element coupled with said outer shaft and a second cam element mating with the first cam element; and slip clutch means, drivingly coupled with said second cam element and driven by said motor means, said clutch means when driven in one direction actuating said cam means to hold the outer shaft stationary, said slip clutch means being further disposed and adapted to actuate said cam means to disengage disk elements of said brake means and to provide a coupling for driving said inner and outer shafts together upon rotation of the inner shaft in the opposite direction.

5. In power transmission apparatus: means defining a base; a pair of coaxially disposed rotatable shafts mounted upon said base; brake means including at least a pair of frictionally engageable elements confronting one another in the direction of extension of the axis of said shafts, one of said elements being coupled with one of said shafts and the other of said elements being coupled with said base; reversible motor means disposed and adapted to drive the other of said shafts; cam means for effecting relative axial movement between said brake elements to actuate the brake means in response to rotation of said other shaft in one direction, whereby to provide for rotation of the latter alone, said cam means including a first cam element coupled with said one shaft and a second cam element mating with the first cam element; and slip clutch means, drivingly coupled with said second cam element and driven by said motor means, said clutch means, when driven in said one direction, actuating said cam means to hold said one shaft stationary whereupon said other shaft is driven alone, said slip clutch means being further disposed and adapted, when driven in a direction opposite said one direction, to actuate said cam means to disengage said brake elements and to provide a coupling for driving said coaxial shafts together.

6. Power transmission apparatus according to claim 5, and further characterized in that said coaxially disposed rotatable shafts comprise a hollow shaft and a shaft disposed concentrically within the hollow shaft.

7. Power transmission apparatus according to claim 6, and further characterized in that said first cam element includes a helical surface concentric with and coupled for rotation with said hollow shaft, and said second cam element comprises a helical surface presented axially toward and mating with the helical surface provided on the first cam element, said first and second cam elements each including axially extending abutment surfaces releasably engageable with one another in response to relative rotational movements of said cam elements, the construction and arrangement being such that said abutment surfaces provide for the recited driving engagement between the first and second cam elements and the helical surfaces a provide for the axial movement of said first cam element with respect to the second cam element.

8. Power transmission apparatus according to claim 6 and characterized in that said brake means comprises a first set of disks concentric with and splined to said hollow shaft; a second set of disks concentric with the first and splined to said base; a plurality of friction disks interposed between the recited first and second sets of disks, said sets of disks being disposed for relative movements toward one another by said first cam element, upon axial movement thereof away from said second cam element, to compress the first and second sets of brake disks against said friction disks, whereby to apply a braking force between said hollow shaft and said base.

9. Power transmission apparatus according to claim 5 and characterized in that said slip clutch means comprises: a drum having a peripheral flange; a shoe member including a flat, split ring resiliently urged against the recited flange; a pair of concentric, selectively compressible coil springs disposed and adapted to spread said split ring 20 and urge the same, with a greater or a lesser force, against the flange of the drum whereby to provide a greater or lesser frictional force between the ring and the drum; and means coupling said motor means with said split ring to drive the clutch means through the latter under the in- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 885,684 4/1908 Broughton 19277 1,051,854 2/1913 Armstrong 19277 2,775,883 1/1957 Burris 1922 2,826,056 3/1958 Bruckman 1922 3,060,712 10/1962 Sisson 68-23 BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, Primary Examiner.

DON A. WAITE, Examiner.

P. W. SULLIVAN, Assistant Examiner. 

5. IN POWER TRANSMISSION APPARATUS: MEANS DEFINING A BASE; A PAIR OF COAXIALLY DISPOSED ROTATABLE SHAFTS MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE; BRAKE MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST A PAIR OF FRICTIONALLY ENGAGEABLE ELEMENTS CONFRONTING ONE ANOTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF EXTENSION OF THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFTS, ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING COUPLED WITH ONE OF SAID SHAFTS AND THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING COUPLED WITH SAID BASE; REVERSIBLE MOTOR MEANS DISPOSED AND ADAPTED TO DRIVE THE OTHER OF SAID SHAFTS; CAM MEANS FOR EFFECTGING RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BRAKE ELEMENTS TO ACTUATE THE BRAKE MEANS IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID OTHER SHAFT IN ONE DIRECTION, WHEREBY TO PROVIDE FOR ROTATION OF THE LATTER ALONE, SAID CAM MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST CAM ELEMENT COUPLED WITH SAID ONE SHAFT AND A SECOND CAM ELEMENT MATING WITH THE FIRST CAM ELEMENT; AND SLIP CLUTCH MEANS, DRIVINGLY COUPLED WITH SAID SECOND CAM ELEMENT AND DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR MEANS, SAID CLUTCH MEANS, WHEN DRIVEN IN SAID ONE DIRECTION, ACTUATING SAID CAM MEANS TO HOLD SAID ONE SHAFT STATIONARY WHEREUPON SAID OTHER SHAFT IS DRIVEN ALONE, SAID SLIP CLUTCH MEANS BEING FURTHER DISPOSED AND ADAPTED, WHEN DRIVEN IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE SAID ONE DIRECTION, TO ACTUATE SAID CAM MEANS TO DISENGAGE SAID BRAKE ELEMENTS TO PROVIDE A COUPLING FOR DRIVING SAID COAXIAL SHAFTS TOGETHER. 